Damian
by Gusto God of Story
Summary: They had given him a new name, a new life, and most importantly, a new purpose. While he didn't know if he'd ever make it back home, knowing that he was able to help them fend off their greatest threat would ease his mind. Especially because even now, he still had friends by his side, to help him along the way. (Rated T for future additions)
1. Ch1 - The Unlikely Start

**Hey there. So glad you decided to give my humble little fic a look.**

**So, Introduction.**

** I'm Gusto, the God of Story. I have an old account on here called 'WritingwithGusto', which I abandoned for... some reason or another. It's been so long, I can't even remember. But I'm back now, and I'm starting with a weird little story based on what I can only assume to be a nostalgia-induced fever dream.**

**As you can guess, these series that I'm crossing over mean a lot to me. I've written fanfiction for both 'The Land Before Time' and 'Code Lyoko' before, and had a great time doing it. So if I continue this story, I have every intention to make it as high-quality as I possibly can. And if some of you enjoyed it, hopefully I'll make a returning reader out of you.**

**Who knows? I certainly don't!**

**But enough of that. Welcome to the first chapter of my Land Before Time/Code Lyoko crossover.**

**ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

This had to be a dream... what other explanation was there?

In a large patch of grass in the middle of a forest, a young boy sat up, trying to justify the circumstances he'd found himself in. The sun shone down on his dark brown skin, as his hair fell down to the middle of his back, almost blending with his skin due to the similar hue. Taking in his surroundings with his deep red eyes, something didn't seem right.

There was this strange sense around him that everything was so unusual from where he was before. None of the trees looked familiar, and there were creatures flying around that he didn't recognize in the slightest. And if that wasn't bad enough, his body was so dissimilar.

Was this even his body? It couldn't be, right?

Looking it over, he was sure it couldn't be, and yet he was right here staring back at his own two hands. They were small, and it was unusual for him to look at them, or to even fathom having hands in the first place. He was so used to four legs, so how was he supposed to switch from that to standing upright?

And on top of that, what was up with his arms? There was this weird soft layer above what he could feel underneath, that was a dark red in color. And it was similar on his legs, but with a grey covering, and these weird black things on his feet, which were covered by white fuzzy stuff. He'd never seen anything like it, in all of his life.

"Seriously, what is going on?"

With a gasp, he placed his hands over his mouth. His voice sounded different too. Deeper than it was before, but still maintaining a boyish tone to it. It was a far cry from his old voice, which almost made him sound like a girl in comparison to this.

There was so much for him to take in. Everything about this circumstance was just so... _different_.

Thinking back, the last thing he remembered was seeing a bright streak speed across the night sky. Then, there was a flash in the distance.

And then... nothing.

Try as he did to conjure up what happened next, nothing really came to mind. And it felt wrong to him. As if something was cut off between then and now. And it only seemed to leave his mind plagued by questions. Because he still didn't know how to respond. Or how any of this was possible to begin with.

But one thing was for sure: He needed to get answers.

Pulling from his memories, he was able to conjure up an image of how a two-footed creature walked, and managed to stand up with minimal issues. It took a minute or two for him to adapt to his new center of balance, but thankfully, something about this new way of standing felt natural to him.

"Maybe it comes with the territory," he concludes, getting a feel for this strange form he's found himself in. "But that still doesn't tell me anything. I don't even know if there's anyone else out here."

And as if by fate's design, the young man saw his answer. It came in the form of a young creature looking similar to him, yet at the same time, wildly different.

To the right of him was a pale-skinned young girl, a bit taller than him, covered in black from head to toe. She had the hair on her head falling straight down, but it stuck to her, framing her face in a lovely way.

He didn't know who they were, but they were approaching, and fast.

_'Okay, now or never. I don't want to have to wait for more to show up.'_

"Hey!" He rushed over to where she was, and asked "Can you help me?"

The girl looked at him, and he could tell by her face that she'd been caught off guard. She looked around, and then awkwardly told him, "Uh... look, now's not the best time. I have an emergency going on here."

"So do I. I won't get in your way, I promise! I just... I'm frightened."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "By what?"

"I woke up in this strange new place. I don't remember how I got here. I don't know where I am! I don't know WHAT I am! And... I just need someone who can help me understand."

She stared with shock, and then turned her glance to the circle on the ground in front of her. Her expression conveyed to him that she was deep in thought. But after a few seconds, she returned back to him, and sighed. "Look... so long as you don't get in my way, you can follow me. My friend Jeremie might be able to help you afterward, okay?"

"Oh, thank you!" the boy declared with relief. "Alright, lead the way Ms... uh..."

"Yumi." she answered, moving the circle to reveal a path to something below. "What's your name?"

"It's Littlefoot."

There was a brief silence, as Yumi looked to him as if he'd just grown a second head.

"... What?"

"... Just follow me."

* * *

Littlefoot had a rather difficult time keeping up with Yumi, as she sped forward on this strange piece of bark with circles on the bottom of it. He didn't quite understand what it was, or how it worked, but she was much faster than him while on it. Wherever she needed to be, it must be urgent. Why else would she be trying to go so fast?

But even so, he was no quitter, and pushed himself to keep up with Yumi. Even as she crossed these big gaps, Littlefoot tried to jump over them as well. But unfortunately, even though he could run well, his ability to jump left much to be desired. He ended up getting wet quite a few times, and it made keeping up with her all the more challenging.

But he didn't give in, and he never lost sight of her.

Once the path was finished, Yumi told Littlefoot to climb what she'd called a 'ladder', and he complied without issue. And once out of that cave system, the sight he was greeted by was like nothing he'd ever seen before. In all honesty, he wasn't even sure how to describe it. But whatever it was, it looked to be their destination, given that Yumi was approaching an opening.

So, he wasted no time following, and watched as she swung down on this strange grey vine.

Taking a moment to mentally prepare himself, Littlefoot did the same, thankful for his past experiences making him decently capable; though it did still disturb him how easy he was adapting to this new body, but that was not the point. As he made it to this new area, there was another odd looking… thing in which Yumi stood.

"Well, get in," she told him, "I gotta get to Jeremie."

With a dash of hesitation, Littlefoot finally nodded, and entered the strange thing. When he did, the opening suddenly closed before him. Fear coursed through him, but quickly subsided as Yumi placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Relax. It's called an elevator. And it's how we're going to get you help."

"Alright. If you say so."

And so, they continued in this 'elevator', down to what Littlefoot could only assume to be another cave. But unlike the previous set, this one was much more beautiful. And in the middle of it, there looked to be someone.

It was a young boy, about his age if Littlefoot had to guess, with yellow hair on the top of his head, blue on his top half, and brown on his bottom half. Currently, he was sitting in front of something that looked way to complex for Littlefoot to even fathom, and he'd only looked back when he'd heard the noise the elevator made when it opened back up. On his face were a pair of circles around his eyes, but they only helped to bring focus to his gaze.

In that gaze, Littlefoot saw nothing but determination.

"Yumi, who is this?" he asked, almost incredulously. "Why'd you bring him here?"

"Look, I'm sorry Jer, but I found him at the manhole, and he said he needed help. Says his name is Littlefoot."

"... I won't even ask."

"So when we launch the return, you can help him. For now, just let him sit around and watch, I guess."

With an exasperated sigh, Jeremie said "Very well. Just get down to the scanner room. We don't have time to argue."

"Right."

And so the elevator closed again, leaving Littlefoot alone with Jeremie. He said nothing, as the blue-clad boy began working on something, and with great dedication based on the look on his face.

Curious, Littlefoot walked over to catch a glimpse. And what he saw made no sense to him, as he'd guessed it wouldn't.

"Um, do you mind?" He heard Jeremie ask, which caused him to fumble back a bit.

"I'm sorry, I just… I've never seen anything like this before."

"I'm sure of it. Sometimes it's more convoluted than even I can understand. But it's important what I'm doing."

"Well, is there any way I can help?"

"Not unless you know how to counteract a malevolent artificial intelligence bent on world domination."

"I… don't even know what half of those words mean."

"Exactly. Let's just leave it at 'It's VERY important', and that no one else but my friends are allowed to know."

"So then why are you telling me?"

"Because when this is all said and done, you won't remember it anyway."

That last statement caused one of Littlefoot's eyebrows to raise. What did he mean by 'you won't remember it anyway'? Did Jeremie have some way to make him forget? Were they going to threaten him in order to make him keep quiet? As much as he didn't want to think about these possibilities, he had to remind himself that he knew nothing about them, and they knew nothing about him.

He wanted to trust them. But whether or not they want to trust him remains to be seen. For now, he'd just have to wait, and hope for the best.

* * *

Several long minutes passed, Littlefoot unsure of what to do, or what to say. He simply listened in on Jeremie's conversation with someone named 'Ulrich', as well as Yumi and someone called Aelita, in a place called 'Lyoko'. Currently, they were being chased by a 'monster', as Jeremie described it, and were in the middle of a sandstorm. The whole time, he was waiting for someone named 'Odd'.

Most of it still went over his head, but he was able to gather quite a bit. Where they were, this 'Aelita' was in danger, and needed help.

A nostalgic smile graced his lips. Even though he understood the gravity of the situation, he couldn't help but think. It reminded him greatly of his own home, when he would go on adventures with his friends, looking to help those they cared about.

'_Oh man, my friends… what would they think of all this? What would they think of this weird creature I turned into?'_ He questioned, as Jeremie continued to work on whatever he was doing. '_And if I'm here… does that mean they're here as well? Could I run into Cera? Or Petrie? Or Ducky or Spike? What if they're out there, just as scared as I am? I hope someone is willing to help the-'_

"NO! YUMI!"

Jeremie's sudden outburst pulled Littlefoot from his thoughts, as the look on the boy's face told him everything he needed to know.

"HIDE AELITA! THIS ISN'T GOOD! OH, WHERE IS ODD!?"

His panicked tone evoked a strong reaction in Littlefoot. Something has gone amiss, and this Aelita was alone. And of course, like many times in the past, he felt this drive to do something about it. He'd never been one to sit around and wait for a solution, but rather one to go out and find one.

… Maybe right now, that's exactly what Jeremie needed.

"Odd, please tell me you're close!" He heard Jeremie ask desperately, only for the voice to respond with "_Afraid not, Jer! There was a crash, and I had to take a detour!"_

"Oh, you'll never make it in time! And Aelita's in danger! Oh, what can I do!? What can I d-"

"Send me!"

Jeremie looked away from the screen, ignoring the other voice questioning who that was, and just stared in surprise at this brazen demand.

"I don't know what's going on," Littlefoot admitted, "But I do know that you need help. And I want to help."

"Are you sure? It's very dangerous!"

A slightly amused chuckle escaped Littlefoot's lips, as he thought back to his many adventures. Danger was something he knew pretty well, that was for certain. And for some reason, that fact seemed to bring him great pride now. Before today, he'd thought nothing of it, but now, looking back on his many fights against the Sharpteeth, something within him felt very big.

'_I'm not sure why though. I've never thought of it like that before.'_ He considered, trying to remember a time he'd ever felt this prideful. '_Oh well, that's not what matters.'_

With nothing more than a nod, his answer was given. Jeremie seemed to think on it for little more than a second. '_We don't seem to have any other option. I guess I'll have to give him the rundown...'_

"Alright then, Littlefoot. Get in the elevator, and I'll send you down to the scanners."

Not wasting any time, he headed back to where the elevator was, and it opened up again. When he entered, it closed fast, and he could feel it heading even lower than where he was. It opened again, and Littlefoot was greeted by the sight of a room with three strange standing objects. They were open, much like the elevator had been before, and Yumi was getting out of one herself.

So maybe if he stepped in one, something would happen?

"_Alright Littlefoot, just get in one of them, and I'll start the virtualization process!"_

For a second he froze, unsure of where Jeremie's voice was coming from. '_Wait, no… calm down.'_ he reminded, as he stepped forward. '_This must be normal for them. Jeremie was talking to his friends, and they weren't here.'_

Finally, he came before the chamber, and stepped inside. He was turned around suddenly, and saw the 'scanner' close around him.

"_Transfer Littlefoot!"_

Jeremie's voice was coming through the scanner, and giving him an indication that he was in the right place. He felt a strange sensation as his hair flew about in wild directions.

"_Scanner, Littlefoot!"_

The process continued, and he felt his body being enveloped in a great warmth. The winds did not stop, but he could tell that something huge was about to happen…

"_Virtualization!"_

* * *

In a flash, Littlefoot felt an experience that he couldn't even begin to explain. It was like his body was being broken apart, and sent flying forward into a new place, his physical form vanishing, then being reformed. His vision returned first, as he found himself staring at a desert. When he fell to the ground below, there was much for him to take in about the situation.

But first of all was how his appearance had changed once again.

His hair seemed to have been tied by something in the back, and his coverings felt much less restrictive on his form. On his chest, he noticed a covering made of a strange fluffy stuff. On his legs were longer coverings than before, which were then covered themselves by… rocks? Were those rocks on his feet?

Were those rocks on his hands…?

… Was that a giant pointed rock in his right hand!?

"_Littlefoot! Can you hear me!?"_

Being pulled from his questions, the former longneck looked around, hoping to see Jeremie somewhere. But unfortunately for him, that was not the case. He must be talking with him from back where he was.

"Yeah, I hear you!" Littlefoot declared confidently, "Now I just need to know where I'm going, and what I'm doing!"

"_Well, start running forward, and don't stop until you see this girl in pink, okay? You need to lead her to the tower, and protect her from monsters!"_

Not needing to be told twice, Littlefoot rushed forward, resting the giant sharpened stone on his shoulder, and somewhat baffling himself with the speed he was able to conjure up. This new body was fast, he had to give it that. '_And strong too,'_ he mentally added, eyes still on the big rock he was lugging around. '_This thing feels weightless! I wonder what it's for.'_

"Alright, she's on your right! Stop about now!"

Littlefoot stopped dead in his tracks, and looked over to find who he was looking for. He was sure that it was her, because she was pink.

VERY pink.

"So then, I take it you're Aelita?"

The girl nods. "I've never seen you around here before. Are you here to help?"

"Yeah. Now then, where's this 'tower' I'm supposed to lead you to?"

Aelita pointed forward, and the pair continued forward.

"Aelita, Littlefoot! Watch out! There's a ridge!"

The ground split in front of the two, as they were left to stare at the devastation. Down below was a huge expanse of ocean. And if it was anything like back in his world, something told him he did not want to fall in it.

"Oh no, and there's a Megatank behind you!"

"A 'Megatank'?"

Looking back, Littlefoot was greeted by a massive cloud of sand and dust heading toward them fast. Fear struck, as it looked like they were caught in the middle of two bad choices. On one hand, they had to make a jump that could lead to them falling into the water below, or deal with that sandstorm, and whatever is hiding within it.

"Is there something I can do?" He questioned aloud, silently hoping that Jeremie had an answer...

"_Maybe there is!"_

A sudden gasp, as Jeremie elaborated. "_Take that stone sword in your hand, and swing it overhead! This will activate one of your abilities!"_

Much like before, Littlefoot didn't understand the second half of that, but he was able to piece together 'swing the sword overhead'. And so, he planned to do just that. Grabbing the stone 'sword' by both hands, his body turned slightly as the great mass of rock was behind him. And in an instant, he felt both of his arms push forward, with the 'sword' helping to keep them going.

Finally, the sword slammed into the ground, and what happened next may be the most shocking thing he'd seen all day. From where he'd slammed his blade down, out rose a giant stone spike, stretching across to the other side of the ravine.

Many emotions ran through the former dinosaur, but the main one was genuine confusion. The new body he could deal with, the danger was no problem, and the new world he could probably adapt to.

But this? This was too much!

"Did… did I just do that?"

"_Yes! Now hurry up and run across it, it's going to disappear in 10 seconds!"_

While not knowing what a 'second' was, that got him moving, as both Littlefoot and Aelita made their way up the narrow spire. Even though he was at risk of falling, something about this situation felt rather... exciting. The memories seemed to flood Littlefoot, reminding him of the many great times he'd had in the past, putting his hide at risk in order to help others. It almost seemed like something he was just destined for at this point, all things considered.

And something about that thought got his blood pumping.

'_Seriously, what is going on with me today?'_ he questioned once again. '_I never used to think like this. Is it maybe… something to do with the new body?'_

But like last time, Littlefoot's thoughts were cut short as he jumped down from the spire, onto the other side of the desert. As Aelita joined him on solid ground, they took a second to glance at the other side. The dust storm was still approaching the two, and it showed no signs of stopping.

"Uh, Jeremie?" Littlefoot questioned, gripping his stone sword in worry. "You don't think that 'Megatank' can take the path too, right?"

The storm continued to approach, as a shape congealed from within it. A round grey thing, not looking like any sort of stone he'd seen before, and it was rolling toward them.

"_Well… it looks like we're about to find out. In the meantime, Aelita, just hurry toward the tower!"_

That wasn't exactly reassuring, but at the moment, all he could do was hope. As for Aelita, she wasted no time rushing toward this big pillar a ways away. It had this awful red glow that Littlefoot didn't like, but whether or not it looked good was the least of his worries.

He was here to protect Aelita. And that meant this 'Megatank' couldn't make it to the other side.

As the Megatank rolled closer, Littlefoot watched without a word. By the looks of it, it certainly intended to try and traverse up the path, and was making very decent progress. It was halfway up when Littlefoot began to raise his blade once again. If it got to the other side, then he'd have to fight it. Or perhaps, he could throw his sword at it, and that would make it fall off the side.

Even if it was making progress, he had options.

But as it turns out, he wouldn't need to consider these options.

Littlefoot was able to conclude 10 seconds have passed, because in an instant, the spire vanished, leaving the Megatank to fall. Its side scraped the edge of the ravine, but due to a lack of anything to grab the ledge, it was doomed to plummet into the ocean below. A bright light shot up from underneath, and the monster was nowhere to be seen. And neither was Aelita, by the looks of it…

"Jeremie! Did Aelita make it to the tower?"

"_Yes…! But our friends are approaching the petrochemical complex, and fast!"_

A chill ran up Littlefoot's spine. This was the danger that Jeremie had been talking about the entire time he'd been up there. Had he been too late to stop it? Were they going to get hurt in spite of him trying to help?

Such thoughts made him grip down even harder on his sword, not wanting to believe he failed. He may not have known these guys very well, but they had needed him. And letting people down was never something he enjoyed, especially when it is something as large as what Jeremie made it out to be.

But thankfully, something must have happened, because he heard a relieved exhale from Jeremie. Looking back, he saw the tower in the distance, and it had changed. Gone was the red glow that had him uneasy, and instead it was replaced with a white glow that filled him with great warmth.

"_Oh thank goodness."_ Littlefoot heard Yumi declare. "_That was too close for comfort."_

"_Quite. But we made it just in the nick of time. So thank you for that, Littlefoot."_

He rubbed the back of his neck unconsciously, and simply replied with "It was nothing. I was just following orders."

"_Well, if it weren't for you, we'd be in a really bad situation. So in a sense, we owe you. You said you needed help, right?"_

"Yeah?" Littlefoot raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

"_You'll see! Just wait for us back where you ran into Yumi, okay?"_

"Uh..."

"_Return to the past now!"_

Before Littlefoot could even question what that meant, a flash of light burst forward from the tower, enveloping him in the blinding radiance.

* * *

The next thing Littlefoot knew, he was right in the forests that he'd woken up in. But this time, it was much earlier in the day. The night circle was still in the sky, and it's light contrasted greatly with the beautiful black sky.

He was back to his previous coverings. No stone on his hands or feet, and no stone 'sword' rested on his shoulder.

"What was that…? Did I dream up that whole thing?" Littlefoot glanced around, taking in the familiarity of his surroundings. "No… no I couldn't have. But then why am I here, and not in that 'Lyoko' place?"

Try as he might to wrap his mind around it, no answer came to Littlefoot of how he did it. It was a mystery, and one he had no way of figuring out. He knew nothing of where he was or what was in it, or even what little tricks those living here were capable of. So who knows, maybe this was normal for them?

"I need to relax." He finally concluded, running a hand through his shaggy locks. "Jeremie told me to wait here. I guess that means they're going to come find me."

And so, with nothing more to do, he waited.

Surprisingly, he didn't have to wait long. Within a short while, he saw Jeremie in the distance. Deciding to meet halfway, Littlefoot ran over to him, and they greeted each other right before the manhole.

"So, you were real after all."

Jeremie nodded, and started to give Littlefoot a once-over. "And by the looks of it, you seem to have made your first return trip alright. No complications?"

"I… don't think so, at least."

"Well, I suppose we should get down to business." Jeremie walked over to Littlefoot and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You said your name was 'Littlefoot', correct?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well… it's the same name as a fictional dinosaur in a film. As such, that strikes me as rather unusual."

"There you go, saying things I don't understand. What is a 'film'? What does 'fictional' mean?"

"Hm..." Jeremie seemed deep in thought for a few seconds, and Littlefoot couldn't help but wonder what was running through the shorter boy's mind. "Would you be willing to answer one question for me, Littlefoot?"

"Um… sure?"

"Did you have a best friend named Cera?"

Silence reigned supreme as he tried to respond to that. How could Jeremie have known about that? Littlefoot had never mentioned it, and yet here he was being asked about her. And that told Littlefoot that there was something that Jeremie wasn't saying.

"Did you run into her? Is she here?"

"Afraid not, though that does confirm a suspicion of mine. It seemed implausible, but at the same time, it would explain why you seem so inept."

Littlefoot crossed his arms. "Stop using big words! It's like you're making fun of me!"

"Trust me, that's not my intent. Allow me to try to explain it. But first, I have to know one thing..."

"And what would that be?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

For a second, hesitancy slipped into the back of Littlefoot's mind. But he pushed it back, realizing that it wasn't the time for his own opinions on a subject to get in the way. There was still so much that he didn't know, and so much that he needed to know. So, whether or not he thought it wrong, he had to agree.

And so he did.

"Very well then. Now, allow me to start at the beginning..."

* * *

**And there you have it. I got to throw Littlefoot into Lyoko, with a surprisingly easy mission (I hadn't intended that, but as it turns out, Episode 4's mission wasn't too difficult). Now, he's stuck with the gang, whether they like it or not. And perhaps he'll be able to help them out greatly. Or maybe he'll cause his own fair share of problems.**

**But that's a chapter for another day.**

**If you liked it, feel free to leave a review, a favorite, a follow, all that good stuff. I don't know when I'll have the next chapter up, but considering how good a time I had writing this one, it'll probably be soon.**

**Until next time, readers!**

**Gusto out!**


	2. Ch2 - The First True Mission

**WOW, this chapter ended up being a lot longer than I expected! But it was a hell of a lot of fun to write. And I can promise you not EVERY chapter will be like this. I just wanted a chance to get a lot of scenes in, showing how Littlefoot's taking the whole thing, and his perspective on everything.**

**But as for this chapter in particular, I'm trying to do an episode a chapter, and if I can keep that pace, I can actually make some decent progress with this story. And considering the plans I've got, that oughta be fun.**

**But I've rambled on long enough. On with the show!**

* * *

Today, he had a headache, and it was truly no surprise why.

Wandering around the campus, in an attempt to soothe his fraying nerves on their off day, Littlefoot mulled over the details of the last week. Ever since the incident on Lyoko, he'd been put through so much by his new allies, and much of it, he still didn't entirely follow the reasoning behind.

It started at the factory, the place he'd gone to with Yumi. After finding out who Littlefoot was, they all explained to him a variety of things, starting with why exactly he had to keep Lyoko a secret.

While he had no doubt that most other people would have been stunned or flabbergasted, he found himself having an easy time believing them. Apparently these kids, who had to be about his same age, were fighting off an evil creature known as 'X.A.N.A', who lived in a weird device called a 'supercomputer'. It sounded crazy, sure, but so did him being a dinosaur a day before he had met them.

But of course, thinking about that fact only seemed to depress Littlefoot at the moment, and his new friends knew that. So, they tried to help him as much as possible with his new life.

It was almost a day later that Jeremie had apparently made an arrangement for him. They lived at this place called 'Kadic Academy', and had to get him enrolled as a student. While it went over his head in the beginning, Littlefoot eventually got the picture. He'd be able to live at this school, and they'd teach him things, as well as feed him.

But in order to do this, Jeremie had to make up legal information for Littlefoot. And so, he did. With his skills on a computer, he was able to fabricate information and records that would allow them to go to school. He'd made up a fake birthday, parents, and schooling history.

And most importantly, they gave him a new name.

From what he could glean, 'Littlefoot' was definitely not a normal name, and as such, it would need to be changed. Personally, the idea didn't sit right with him, and he questioned the validity when he'd met people named 'Odd' and 'Ulrich'; and this complaint only got worse when he learned that he'd have to have a LAST name as well, for whatever purpose THAT served!

But if Jeremie thought it would help, then Littlefoot was willing to deal with it...

Or rather, Damian Marcus was willing to deal with it.

With the new name came all sorts of new implications. At the time, he'd still not known the first thing about being human, and yet they'd already given him a human name. And that meant he couldn't avoid learning what it meant to be one.

That was partially what caused his headache right now. Thanks to Jeremie managing to get them rooming together, Damian has been getting a 'crash course' on the human world. He was thankful for this of course, but honestly, there was so much to go over, and it could be a little overwhelming. As well as awkward, given they had to teach him about points like hygiene and personal care.

And then there was his reactions to it all. At least 3 times this week, Damian has gathered the attention of all the other students with his shock at relatively mundane things. The most embarrassing had been at dinner, where he'd had his first piece of meat. Though in his defense, he was still not used to the needs of his new body, so he hadn't been expecting to actually _like_ it!

They were able to play off each incident, but it was still not something Damian was proud of. If he was going to pose as a normal human, he needed to not freak out as much. The last thing that him or his friends wanted was for people to start questioning him. And just knowing that he had to keep up this act when he had no idea how to certainly didn't help.

Still though, it wasn't _all_ bad.

Even though it's been rough, making friends with the gang was definitely an upside. Ulrich and Odd were more than willing to help Damian when he had a question, and their attitudes were a good balance for each other. Yumi felt like an older sister, helping him, but with an added dash of playful mockery - which of course helped him to figure out a bit about how these students interact. And then of course, there were Jeremie and Aelita, both of whom were so patient with him, in spite of his ineptitude.

They'd helped him with clothing, with teaching, and with adapting to this new world he found himself in. Honestly, he'd have been lost without them all.

But easily the best part of all when they'd revealed to him about his film series.

In all honesty, it should have shocked Damian, to know that they didn't think he was real. The evidence they had was very strong, considering he was in movies, considering they watched his adventures. But for some reason… it didn't scare him.

Actually, it only further exhilarated him.

People knew of his struggles. Of the great feats he'd pulled off over the years. And they watched them, and enjoyed watching him triumph.

'_Still can't get over that part,'_ he thought with a smile. '_People KNOW my story! I'm like the Lone Dinosaur! It's so amazing! … But at the same time, it makes me wonder if their little theory is right. Could Xana have just pulled me from a movie or something?'_

Certainly a question worth considering, Damian could not deny.

And one that did nothing to ease his head pains.

"Hm… where should I go now?" He questioned to no one in particular. "Ulrich and Odd said they were going to walk Kiwi... Yumi's going to go visit Jeremie… and Aelita is on Lyoko..."

Realization dawned on Damian in that moment. Everyone else was busy.

He had nothing to do.

"Well then. What am I supposed to do now?"

From behind, Damian heard footsteps. With a jerk, he looked backward and saw two vaguely familiar individuals. One had dark skin, just the same as him, and hair tied upward. The other was much paler, with red hair tied on the sides. Both of them were shorter than him, the paler one in a pink sweater, with grey pants and black boots, and the darker one in a yellow shirt, with green pants and beige shoes.

'_What were their names again? It was… uh… Tamiya and Milly! Right!'_

"Hey there, Damian!" Milly declared happily, playing with a strand of her red hair. "We were looking for you!"

This surprised the former dinosaur, as he kept a hand on his forehead. "Looking for me, huh?"

"Yeah!" Tamiya held up a camera. "You're the newest student on Kadic, and we were hoping you'd be willing to give us an interview."

A raised eyebrow was his first response. "In… ter… view?"

The world was new, and completely unfamiliar. Like many things to come this week, Damian was caught off-guard by a concept that Jeremie hadn't gone over. He'd never heard of an 'interview', and wasn't really sure whether or not to answer yes or no.

"Yeah silly! An interview! You know, we ask you questions, you give answers?"

"Oh..." Damian considered the prospect. Jeremie had warned him about giving away information about himself. But at the same time, so long as he was careful with how he answered, what was the harm?

"I suppose I could answer your questions, sure."

"Oh great!" Milly squealed with excitement. "Now then, first question. Why'd you come to Kadic?"

For a second, Damian gave an honest thought of how he'd explain it. Eventually, he settled on "I guess I have Jeremie to thank for that."

"Jeremie Belpois?"

"Yeah. We're friends, but I'm sure you figured that part out."

The two younger girls laughed. "Oh yeah. You hang out with him and his friends all the time. How'd you meet them?"

"At the factory."

Upon seeing their reaction, Damian immediately realized he'd said something wrong.

"Do you mean the old abandoned factory?"

"Uh… yeah?"

"What was Jeremie doing at the factory? What were YOU doing at the factory?"

That was his cue to seek an escape. "Well… we were, uh…?"

A cursory glance to the left and right, as Damian searched desperately for an answer out of this situation. It was getting worse by the second, as his taxed mind searched for an answer among the many things that Jeremie had taught him this week.

'_Ugh! Come on, there's gotta be something in here! Come on Jeremie, there's gotta be something you, Odd or Ulrich gave me…!'_

And then, inspiration struck.

"Oh hey, there's Ulrich," Damian pointed over in the distance. "And is he…? Huh, wonder why he's taking off his shirt."

Immediately, both younger girls looked over, and Damian grinned at their reaction. Just as he'd remembered Jeremie mentioning, these two girls had a bit of attraction to Ulrich. And they'd likely be searching for at least a bit, meaning that was just his chance to run.

And so he did.

"Well, I don't see Ulrich, so you must have been… mistaken?"

When Milly returned her gaze back where Damian was, the older boy was nowhere to be found. The two tilted their heads, curious where he'd gone off to, and began to search. But they would not find him. For there was one thing Damian had fresh in his mind that morning, and it was all thanks to a different friend.

"I'll have to thank Odd later," he declared happily, while on the way back to his and Jeremie's shared dorm. "Speaking of which, I REALLY hope they don't get caught with that dog of theirs..."

* * *

As Odd Della Robbia waited in the bushes by the tool shed, he struggled desperately to stifle the laughter.

At Ulrich's request, the two of them intended to knock Sissi down a few pegs, and currently everything was falling into place. Sissi was on her way here, thanks to a bogus text sent her way. And when she opened that door, then she'd end up being introduced to someone she probably wasn't expecting. The only way it could have been better is if Odd had remembered his camera. But other than that, nothing could ruin this.

_Bzzzzzz… Bzzzzzz…_

'_Spoke too soon.'_ Odd looked back, searching for the source of that buzzing noise. And of course, it was Ulrich's phone.

"Yumi's trying to reach with us," Ulrich explained quietly, "She's gonna blow our cover!"

"Gotcha." Odd replied, reaching into his pocket. "I'll shut off my cell phone. At least until this is all done." And with a quick press of a button, nothing could distract them from committing this little prank of theirs.

Sissi was finally in view, meaning the plan would go into action now.

As she finally made her way to the tool shed, the boys watched in anticipation as she placed her hand on the door handle. Taking one final look to ensure no one was around (which they were, but she didn't know that), Sissi opened the door with a brazen cry of "I'm here Ulrich!"

But Ulrich was over in the bushes, and instead she was greeted by the sight of Kiwi, Odd's prized mutt. The small grey dog jumped on Sissi, knocking her down in the process. That was too much for Odd and Ulrich, as they broke out laughing upon her questioning of the situation.

"Irresistible Sissi!" Odd managed to say through a couple of chuckles.

"You're right," Ulrich joined in, taking great joy in the moment, "Not even a dog can resist your charms!"

"Hey don't knock it, Ulrich! This is a step up from Herb and Nicholas!"

The two boys shared a laugh at Odd's last comment, as he called his dog back by tapping on the knees of his purple pants. As the dog approached his master, Sissi angrily declared "You'll pay for this!"

"That's okay," was Odd's immediate retort. "As soon as you're all dry, send us the bill."

On that note, Ulrich and Odd walked off with Kiwi in tow. Odd pointed with his left arm and the mutt started to walk that way. Sissi wasn't able to get much, but she heard about how they wish they'd gotten a picture, and that only continued to stoke her anger.

"I seem to recall a school rule that said pets are strictly forbidden on campus..." Sissi muttered, more than happy to use this to her advantage right now. Under most contexts, she wouldn't have cared, but after that humiliation, she felt a sudden change in tune was certainly in order.

"Rules were made to be obeyed!"

* * *

As Damian made his way across campus, his headache had started to vanish slightly. Perhaps it was the leisurely walk, or maybe it had something to do with the fresh air. But whatever it was, he was actually feeling slightly better, especially as he made his way toward their bench.

This was their usual meetup spot, Damian had learned through observation. Any time they had a free moment between classes, Jeremie and the others sat here, and took the chance to talk about something other than the constant threat of X.A.N.A. Most people didn't bother them, and the few who did were often shooed off with a simple declaration of disinterest. Simply put, it was a place for them and them alone.

And sure enough, two of 'them' were at the bench right now.

To the right of his vision, Damian saw Ulrich. He recognized the boy due to having similarly brown hair to his own, only much shorter, as well as by his choice in outfit. A shirt, vest, and cargo pants - all of varying shades of green - was his choice in getup. Simple, yet very easy to get a sense for. Unlike Odd Della Robbia, who sat to Ulrich's right.

The other boy in question was an entirely different breed. Odd's blonde hair is styled into a single point ('Lyoko Style', he'd once described it), and had a vibrant purple streak in the front. He too stuck to a single color scheme, most of his outfit being purple, with the exception of a pink undershirt. But the one thing that always baffled Damian were Odd's pants, which for some reason had half of them a visibly darker shade of purple than the other half. It made no sense to him, but then again, very few things about Odd made sense.

Though whether or not Odd made sense was a whole different can of worms for Damian. Right now, he was just happy to see them.

"Oh hey!" Ulrich said to the approaching Damian, "We just got done knocking Sissi down a peg. Where were you?"

"Just walking around campus, trying to clear my head."

"Well, don't clear it too much," Odd warned, "Einstein won't keep covering for ya if he has to start all over again!"

To this, Damian couldn't help but laugh. Odd's natural talent for lightening the mood was definitely something he appreciated, and it helped to ease his mind from the still prevalent ache. "Don't worry," he managed to get out in between chuckles, "I don't plan on clearing it THAT much."

Damian would have continued this conversation, if not for the pitter patter of footsteps. His attention was called to the source, which just so happened to be their friend Yumi. She was approaching fast, and by the look on her face, something was up.

"Oh Yumi, you got here too late," Ulrich joked, taking notice of their fellow ally. "You missed a great show."

"Sissi's got herself a boyfriend," Odd chimed in, still equally amused. "Although 'boy' isn't exactly the right word. Anyway, they're in love!"

Damian watched silently, as Yumi approached the two with disapproval. "Hey, I've been trying to reach you for fifteen minutes! Thanks, guys!"

At this declaration, both Ulrich and Odd's moods changed rather quickly. Gone was the amused smirks of two boys who had just succeeded at something, and now all that was left was the shock of realizing they just screwed up. And this was only further compacted by the news, which wasn't too hard to figure out for any of them:

"Xana has just launched an attack! There are two trains on a collision course with one another!"

There was a brief silence, before Ulrich regained his focus, and quickly declared "Okay, I read you, it's urgent! We'll head out to the factory right away!"

"Hey, you there!"

A cold sweat ran through Damian as he heard this vaguely familiar tone. From behind Ulrich and Odd, he could see a large heavyset man approaching fast. He had brown hair, and was dressed in a red sweater with black pants, a headband, and had a bandage on his left cheek.

Jim was his name, if memory serves, and he did NOT look happy in the slightest. In his arms was the grey mutt that Damian had come to know as Kiwi, and that did not spell good news for Odd.

"No no no!" Odd got off the bench and placed a hand on his face. "As if we didn't have enough problems!"

"So, it seems you forgot the rules her at school, huh?" Jim asked when he was finally before the young boy. "Pets are NOT allowed!"

Odd sighed, knowing there was no way out of trouble. "Yes Jim, I know that, but… you're not gonna make a big deal out of a little dog, are you?"

In response, Jim grabbed Odd by the collar, and swiftly declared "That's for the principal to decide! Follow me!" And without another word, he dragged Odd off to the main office. In his place, a girl walked up to the group. She had long black hair complemented by a yellow headband, a pink shirt that exposed her midriff, and a dark maroon set of pants. Her arms were crossed right over the yellow heart on her shirt, and her grin oozed of smugness.

Sissi Delmas was her name, and Damian didn't like her at all.

Ulrich's eyes narrowed. "You're an even worse pain in the neck than I thought!"

To this, all she did was wink, and walked off without so much as a single word. And something about this exchange made Damian's blood boil. He'd only known Sissi for a few days, but so far, she seemed to take great joy in tormenting his friends. At every opportunity, she belittled and talked down to them, and now she went and did this (at least from what he could gather from her reaction).

As he thought on the implications of what this meant for Odd, Damian's fists clenched. "How could she do that!?" He asked indignantly, only for Yumi to place her hand on his shoulder.

"She got her revenge, but now's not the time to think about it." She said to both Damian and Ulrich. "Come on, there are too many lives at stake!"

With a deep breath, Damian was able to calm down enough to realize they were correct. Right now, there wasn't any time for them to be dwelling upon these tedious hows and whys. While 'trains' were still a new premise in his mind, something told him if they were going to hit each other, that could end up doing untold damage. Especially if they were transporting dangerous cargo…

"Alright, let's go." Damian relented as they started on their way to the factory, "Odd can find his own way outta detention, I'm sure."

* * *

The news report played in the background as Jeremie typed away furiously, waiting for the members of his team to get there. If everything went off without a hitch, then the team should be here any minute. He'd be able to send them to Lyoko, and with a little luck, they'd be able to stop X.A.N.A's plan before anything bad happened.

"Got anything new, Aelita?"

In an instant, a new window opened up, allowing Jeremie communication with the pink haired girl. "Yes I do, Jeremie. I've picked up pulsations, and it seems the activated tower is in the desert sector. I'm on my way!"

"Fantastic. Now I know where to send Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi."

"And Damian?"

Jeremie was silent. In the heat of the moment, he'd forgotten about alerting Damian. An honest mistake, as he was the newest member of the team, but a costly one if this mission called for more than three people. While admittedly, Damian hadn't been given much of a chance to prove himself, Jeremie had looked over his Lyoko I.D, and there was a great potential about him. Inexperienced as the former dinosaur might be, his Lyoko form hit very hard.

And if they could teach him to use that power, then he might be a great addition. But as it stands now, Damian was simply the newbie who needed training. And he would not get a chance if they kept forgetting to bring him.

"I'll admit, he slipped my mind. Hopefully Yumi ran into him on the way."

The door behind Jeremie opened up, giving him the answer. From within, Ulrich, Yumi, and Damian were all there, but strangely enough, there was a member missing.

"Hey, where's Odd?" Jeremie asked as the three approached.

"He's in the principal's office," Yumi explained, "Because Jim found out about Kiwi."

To this, Jeremie nodded. He'd assumed something like this would happen eventually, and it came at a completely inopportune time. But even so, Odd was rather crafty. Without a doubt, he'd find a way to escape and get to the factory.

And as for all the trouble, well… nothing a return to the past can't fix.

"Okay you three," he replied, returning to the task at hand. "Get ready for immediate departure!"

They all nodded, and returned back to the elevator. As it shut, Jeremie could hear the whir of the elevator, taking them down to the next floor. Immediately, he began typing in the codes, pulling their Lyoko up, and preparing to send them out to her.

Like was his usual routine, he opened up a new window accessing the camera in the scanner room, and was greeted with the sight of his teammates, ready to do their job. Closing that tab as fast as he opened it, Jeremie cracked his knuckles, and eagerly made his contribution.

"Transfer Ulrich! Transfer Yumi! Transfer Damian!"

The scanners would close once they were all within them, and that meant that they were ready for the next step in the process. Typing in the second piece of this puzzle, the machines were finally activated.

"Scanner, Ulrich! Scanner, Yumi! Scanner, Damian!"

The screen showed the scanners were working their magic. It would take a few seconds for each scan to complete, and before him were fully active models of a samurai, geisha, and barbarian. Meaning, it was time for the final step:

"Virtualization!"

* * *

The vaguely familiar rush of the virtualization process hit Damian almost immediately. Like before, his body was broken down and recreated into Lyoko; the only difference being that this time he was ready for it. And as such, he was able to land on his feet, and was joined by both Yumi and Ulrich.

While they scanned the surrounding area, Damian couldn't help but take in all the details he had missed last time. This was only his second voyage to Lyoko, and last time was when he had no prior knowledge of the place, or of anything in it. Now, he could truly appreciate the beauty of this desert sector, as well as the amazing designs of those within it.

With the new understanding he had, Damian was able to appreciate his outfit more. The armor covering his chest and legs were clearly designed of high-quality furs, intended for protecting him from blows. The chestpiece was a deep black and the trousers a lighter grey, both of which complimented the stone gauntlets and boots that protected his hands and feet. And in his right hand, he kept the giant sword that had helped him previously - 'Landrender', Jeremie had called it.

Most of the blade was held up by a wooden core, out of which jutted perfectly shaped stones that formed a cutting edge. The flat of the core had similar stone pieces affixed to it, possibly to keep the illusion of it being a more normal blade, or maybe just to look better. But either way, the blade certainly helped to strike an imposing figure, especially given that it was almost as big as he was, and looked like it could do serious damage to everything in the area.

But he wasn't the only one with a new appearance, based on what he was seeing of Yumi and Ulrich. Due to this being his second time within Lyoko, Damian had never seen either of their forms. But from what he was seeing, they looked plenty capable.

Starting with Ulrich, he was dressed mostly in robes, the bottom layer a dark brown, with a yellow one just above protecting his chest. His gauntlets and headband were a similarly yellow hue, and were contrasted by the dark green sash around his waist. On his feet were a pair of sandals, and attached to his side was his weapon. It looked like a sword, though not one that Damian had any knowledge on. But by the looks of it, Ulrich's blade was far more refined than Landrender, and meant for a more finesse-oriented style.

And as for Yumi, she too seemed to draw from a similar theme (at least as far as he could tell). She wore a red and black robe on her top, with red tights, white bandages on her lower legs, and black shoes. Around her waist was a large yellow ribbon, and on her arms were white sleeves that came up to the edges of her robe. She didn't have a weapon, as far as he could tell, and wore her hair in a different style than on Earth. But perhaps the strangest part was how pale her face looked to be, in comparison to the rest of her.

'_Maybe it's something from Japan.'_ Damian concluded, remembering that Yumi had taught him a little about her culture. '_But if so… why does Ulrich look like that? I thought he said he was German. Do German warriors and Japanese warriors look alike?'_

"_Alright team, how's it looking? Everyone made it safely?"_

"Everything's cool, Jer." Yumi responded to their man on the outside, "The transfer was successful! And Aelita's here with us."

Hearing that pulled Damian out of his thoughts, looking over to where the other two were focused on. Only a short ways away was Aelita.

Damian remembered her as being very pink, and that still held up. Her short hair, the markings on her face, her top robes, and the many wrappings on her legs and arms were almost all the same shade. Meanwhile, the cream colored underparts of her robe, arm wraps, and leg coverings helped to compliment this and bring a little variety to the whole ensemble. And most strikingly, were her deep green eyes; the only pair of green eyes Damian had seen in this world. A beautiful green that reminded him of home…

Reminded him of her…

'_No! Stop that!'_ He mentally reprimanded himself, stepping toward Aelita. '_You can't be dwelling on the past, especially when so many people are in trouble.'_

"_Okay, great! And no monsters in sight?"_

"None that I can see," Damian responded, "We're safe for now."

"Any news from Odd?" Ulrich questioned.

"_No not yet. I'll try to contact him. In the meantime, you guys start heading toward the tower. It's west of you currently."_

Damian nodded, remembering the direction as the one Jeremie said the sun set in. "West it is then. Let's move!"

But by the time Damian had started moving, the others were already sprinting in that direction. While he'd lost some ground initially, there was nothing in the area to stop his progress. Much like the rest of them, the gravity of the situation was certainly not lost upon him. Their seriousness and efficiency was a sight to behold, and one he knew he'd have to work toward if he intended to help them.

"So… do you think Odd will be here in time?" He asked idly, as the part continued on their way.

"Dunno." Ulrich said simply. "But if not, then you're gonna have to pull your own weight Damian. Can you even use that giant hunk of stone in your hands?"

"Uh… no, not really. Sorry about that."

"Don't be," Yumi chimed in. "It's only your second time here. And it looks like you're going to have to learn on the job, just like we all did!"

"Without a doubt!" Aelita stopped dead in her tracks - prompting the other three to pause for a second - and pointed forward. "The tower's in our immediate vicinity. Meaning the monsters have to be somewhere near us."

"How can you be so sure?" Damian questioned.

"This run-up has been far too easy." Yumi replied not a second later. "They've got to be hiding something."

"Definitely..." Ulrich agreed, hand on his sword. "Looks like a Xana trap, for sure." His eyes darted from side to side for a second, before he finally asked "Hey Jeremie, do you see ANYTHING on your computer screen?"

"_No, not a thing. No monsters in sight. But let me try again..."_

"And how long before the trains hit each other?"

"_Uh… 14 minutes, according to the last upd- Oh no!"_

Ulrich raised an eyebrow to Jeremie's sudden shock, but had an inkling into what it was. "Lemme guess… welcoming committee?"

"_Unfortunately, and they're approaching from behind. Be on your guard, guys!"_

As if on cue, beams of red energy rushed in from behind, and caught everyone at least once. Upon turning back, they were greeted by their assailants. To Damian, they looked like nothing more than yellow cubes with a strange symbol on each face, capable of moving via it's insectoid legs. But the way that Ulrich stood implied they were not to be trifled with.

"Bloks..." Ulrich declared with contempt. "And quite a few of them. Alright, Damian! This is your chance to prove yourself! Block their strikes with your sword, and swing at them when you can get close enough!"

"Right!" Damian raised his sword, still not used to fighting with a weapon, especially one so large. "I just wish I knew more of my abilities..."

"_I'll give you the rundown,"_ Jeremie's voice echoed in his ears, "_But for now, just focus on protecting the others. You have more life points than them."_

Damian blocks a laser from his left, mostly due to the sheer size of his sword. "I do?"

"_Indeed. While everyone else has 100 Life Points total, you seem to have 125."_

"Well, that's interesting."

As a Blok aims another shot, Damian raises his blade overhead, attempting to replicate the trick that he'd done last time he was here. Fortunately, he remembered the technique, creating a large spire from the ground. Unfortunately, this technique's range was not enough to hit the Blok, and only seemed to place a slight barrier between him and it.

"Well, that works! Now he can't hit me!"

"_For about 10 seconds. That's your 'Rend' technique, and if you're close enough to an enemy, I bet you could impale them on the resulting spire."_

"Noted for next time!"

Right as he said this, another blast from a Blok on Damian's left caught him. The resulting sting indicated he had taken damage, and that his life points had gone lower. From what he understood, if his life points ran out, he'd be unable to fight on Lyoko for at least 12 hours. And that was something that he certainly couldn't allow.

"_Watch out Damian! You too, Ulrich!"_

Looking to his side, Damian could see that his teammate had just taken two more shots from these monsters, and was subsequently knocked down by it. Rushing over to make sure he was okay was a foolish choice, as evidenced by another shot connecting to Damian's right arm.

"Grr..." He clutched at his arm, as he bought his friends a slight bit of time to recuperate. "These Bloks just don't let up, do they!?"

"_No, they don't! You need to get out of there, you're losing too many life points too fast!"_

"Great idea, but how do you suppose we do it?" Ulrich questioned, as a few shots were taken by both him and Yumi. "Sprout wings, huh!?"

"_No no… I have a better idea! Damian, stab Landrender into the ground!"_

Not exactly in a position to be asking questions, Damian complied, and reversed his grip on the handle. With this, he was able to thrust the blade of his sword into the ground without much issue. It went in deep, far deeper than he had been expecting, shocking most of the group as the sword pierced the ground halfway up it's blade.

But that surprise was dwarfed by what happened next, as the ability finally activated.

With a flash, five small stones burst forward from the top of the blade, and aimed outward toward the enemy. It was a wide radius from which they spread from, and two of the Bloks were capable of avoiding, while the other two were not so lucky. The ones closest to Damian both took the brunt of the impact, as the stones pierced their eyes.

The Bloks caught in the line of fire both shattered in an instant, leaving only two left, as well as an incredibly confused barbarian.

"Whoa… did I do that?" Damian couldn't help but ask, dumbfounded by this new trick. "Jeremie, was that why you wanted me to stab Landrender into the ground!?"

"_Yeah it was. It's an ability labeled as Stone Blast, and evidently it's meant for crowd control."_

Ulrich grinned, as he raised his blade. "Not bad, Damian. Now, go off with Yumi and Aelita to the tower!"

"Wait, what!?" Damian asked incredulously. "But what about you!?"

"I'll be fine. Two Bloks shouldn't be too hard for me to handle..."

Looking to both Yumi and Aelita for an answer, he could see the confidence the two had in their fellow swordsman. While it was two against one, they seemed to be more assured in his odds of winning this fight. And unfortunately for Damian, he had no knowledge to say otherwise.

"... Fine. Good luck, Ulrich!"

With nothing more to say, Damian ripped Landrender from the earth below, and the three left. It was now one warrior and two monsters. Tightening the grip on his Katana, Ulrich studied his enemies' movements. Already, his life points were nearing half, meaning his margin for error was tiny. Any mistake could lead to a barrage that would end him.

'_But at least Aelita's safe with Yumi.'_ He mentally noted, preparing himself for the plan of attack. '_And if nothing else, Damian can try to keep her safe until Odd gets here. But for now… time to play my part!'_

"TRIPLICATE!"

* * *

Gliding through the corridors of the sewer on the same trusty skateboard he always had, Odd was all too eager to get to the factory, and join his friends on Lyoko.

This mission was definitely among the deadlier they've dealt with in recent memory, which made it all the more tedious to have to deal with Jim finding out about Kiwi. The only bright side of that was that he knew when they returned to the past, then he would have to make some changes to their plan. Luckily, it didn't take up too much of his time, as a planned hatched into his mind, forcing Jim to walk Kiwi.

And if Odd knew his dog as well as he thought he did, Kiwi probably pissed as soon as they got back to class.

Stopping before the ladder like he always did, Odd did not miss a beat, making his way up and toward the opening of the old abandoned factory. Keeping pace would allow him to be virtualized in the next minute. Ideally the others will be safe and fighting the good fight, but X.A.N.A wouldn't come up with a plan like this and not guard the tower like it was Fort Knox.

Best he could hope was they still all have life points.

Swinging down from the upper level, Odd approached the elevator and was ready to press in the code to make it down to the computer lab…

"Wait a minute. Odd, is that you?"

That is, until he heard a familiar reporter behind him. Daring not to turn around, both Milly and Tamiya rushed into the elevator, and began to pester him with questions.

"What are you doing here? Is this a secret hideout for you guys? Are Damian and Jeremie here?"

Odd raised his hands in defense, seriously confused as to why they were even here. "Whoa, whoa! Slow down! Wait… Damian and Jeremie? Why do you think they'd be here?"

"Well, Damian mentioned he met Jeremie at the factory," Tamiya explained as she held the camera up to Odd's face. "And so Milly decided we should come out here and check it out. Said it would be a super scoop for sure!"

As she offered up her answer, Odd was weighing his options. The trains were still on a course to collide, so if they were still in the area when it did, they wouldn't be safe. And technically, they did have the return to the past, so as long as they didn't get in the scanners, everything should be okay.

A slight grin overtook Odd's face, as he pressed the button on the side, and told the girls "Oh trust me, this is the scoop of the century. And once I've finished doing what I came here to do, we'll tell you all about it. Agreed?"

The two girls nodded vehemently, which was met by Odd's grin becoming even wider. These two always seemed so excited to get their hands on a new story, and this was no exception. And right now, that worked in his favor, as the elevator slowly made its way down to the computer lab.

It was not a second after the door opened that he brought Milly and Tamiya into the room, and immediately asked "So, did I miss the party?"

"I guess you could say that." came Jeremie's reply as he typed away, "Ulrich's got 25 life points left, and a Megatank just got the jump of Yumi."

"And the trains?"

"... Seven minutes until impact. Better get a move on."

"Alright, Einstein. But just so you know, I brought some… guests."

Jeremie barely even acknowledged, the two younger girls, and replied with "Let's just focus on keeping everyone safe on Lyoko."

"Right."

* * *

Damian raised his sword defensively, as the great beast approached, changing it's target after defeating Yumi.

He'd recognized the giant round monstrosity as a Megatank - the very same monster that had attacked them last week. It rolled toward them fast, causing him to tense up. Last time, the monster had been knocked down, so he wasn't completely aware of what it was capable of. But judging by the look on Aelita's face, combined with how effortlessly he defeated Yumi, it couldn't be good.

"Jeremie!" Damian called out, Landrender held close to his chest. "How long before Odd is here!?"

"_He's heading in the scanner right now! He's very good at handling Megatanks. But until he gets there, try to hit the Eye of Xana when it opens up!"_

"Noted. I'll try to impale them with the 'Rend' technique, like you said!"

"_That's a good idea!"_

"_Yeah, you go Damian!"_

A chill ran down the young man's spine, shocking him to the point where he nearly dropped his guard. An unfamiliar voice had just responded over the intercoms; at least unfamiliar to be listening to his conversation. He knew the voice, and dreaded the idea that somehow, she was there. But that couldn't be right, could it?

"Jeremie, who was that?"

"_Milly and Tamiya are here!"_

"Why are they there!? Shouldn't they be evacuating!?"

"_Well..."_ He heard Milly hesitate, "_When you talked about the factory, we got really curious."_

A wave of dread ran through Damian's veins as he heard that. Any hope that this was a happy coincidence was gone, and now it was clear as day. They were here because of _him_! His idiotic slip of the tongue was the reason they'd made it to the factory.

'_Oh god… what'll happen now? They'll know about Lyoko! What if they tell everyone? What'll happen to the team!? To Aelita!? To me!?'_

This train of thought was cut short as a blast of energy burst forward from the Megatank, and hit Damian head on. A stinging pain ran through his system for only a few seconds, but dissipated as the beam did. Using his blade for support, the former dinosaur forced himself back to his feet, and stared at the Megatank in horror. It had changed forms, splitting open down the middle, and revealing bits of flesh, and a large crest that began to glow.

"_Damian, be careful! You only have 30 life points left!"_

With a nod, Damian looked to Aelita, who was already on the move. The Megatank began it's pursuit, forcing him to scramble forward in order to protect her. It took every bit of effort he had, but thankfully, he was able to catch up. But by that point, the Megatank was already preparing a shot, aimed right at Aelita.

'_Oh no...'_ He thought as he rushed to get in the way. '_If I can't reach her in time, then she'll get hit! There's got to be something I can do! I-I… I can Rend to knock it off course! Or I can Stone Blast it in the eye! Or I can-'_

And then, something hit him.

In the back of Damian's mind, he'd heard a phrase. Unfamiliar, yet it sounded as if it came from his own lips. And with it, a scene played out within his head, of a man effortlessly taking whatever attack came his way. It was immaculate, every attack bouncing off, as the warrior stood, immovable, and seemingly invincible. And of course, with all this in mind, it seemed just crazy enough for him to attempt it. Even if it didn't work, he had to do what he could to save Aelita!

He'd already failed them once…

He did not want to fail again!

"STONE SCALE!"

The declaration came out as a desperate growl, and with a surge of energy unlike any he'd felt before, Damian was between Aelita and the blast. Not an ounce of hesitation resided in the barbarian, as a slight grey aura surrounded him the moment the energy pulse connected. What should have sent searing pain running through his system instead caused a slight numbness, and only momentarily. What should have sent him flying barely moved him an inch. And what should have devirtualized him on the spot had done nothing of the sort.

He was still standing. Which meant Aelita was still safe.

But before anything else could be done, a defiant cry came from above. And looking up, Damian knew exactly who it was. In a purple suit, with both magenta and yellow highlights, catlike claws and tail, and a symbol depicting Kiwi on its front, who else could it be but Odd? And judging by the look in his eyes, he was ready for action.

Landing on the Megatank with all the grace he could muster, Odd rolled it back to where he could finally see the eye of X.A.N.A once again. "Laser Arrow!" he confidently declared, shooting one of his trademark shots into the eye, and leaped off the monstrosity. It continued to roll backward, eventually crashing into the stones that made of the pathway and exploding.

"Whoa..."

Finally, Odd landed by Damian, along with Ulrich catching up to them both. The three boys watched as Aelita finally entered the tower, and a collective sigh was released.

"Do you think she made it in time?" Damian couldn't help but question. Odd nodded, and assured him "After that stunt you pulled, I think she's been bought some time. So good on ya, that was pretty gutsy."

"Uh… thanks. But I REALLY don't know what exactly I did there."

"_Allow me to shed some light, then."_

Everyone looked up, as Jeremie attempted to quickly explain it.

"_You see Damian, that's a third ability of yours, called 'Stone Scale'. While it has only two uses, it's very powerful. You get covered with an aura that both increases your density and durability - and by an incredible amount, clearly! That Megatank's laser only dealt 5 damage to you!"_

Both Odd and Ulrich's eyes widened at this revelation, but unfortunately, Damian was still out of the loop. "Is that good?"

"_Let me put it into context. A Megatank's laser usually deals 50 damage. You took one TENTH what you should have from blocking that attack!"_

And with that, he was out of the loop no more. The context had been added, and sent a rush of amazement through Damian. But after that initial high, a second rush came in the form of curiosity. His mind returned to the vision just before he'd activated Stone Scale. How had he known about that?

It was just another question to add onto the pile. So many had come within being here for only a week, and this mission had only further added more. It felt like if he didn't get some answers, he'd end up being toppled by all of these curious thoughts. But if he did get answers, then they would only confuse him more. And he'd have to deal with the end results of this mission and…

"Oh no... " He clutched at his head. "Now my headache is back."

"_Well, don't worry too much, Damian."_ Jeremie replied to this, much more relieved than before. "_You'll have plenty of time to get some aspirin once we're back!"_

Immediately, the barbarian perked up at this. "So, the trains didn't hit each other?"

"_Nope. The tower's deactivated. Meaning you know what comes next."_

And indeed, Damian did know what it meant. It meant that he'd have to return back to this morning. To face the consequences of his actions, and see how Jeremie takes it. There was no escape, and that scared him. But he knew he had to do what was right.

He had to act like a man…

"_Return to the past now!"_

* * *

The return trip went off without a single hitch, and everyone went about their day once again. The trains would never touch each other, and what went on within the previous timeline would never be discussed again. The rest of the Lyoko Warriors saw this as a sign for celebration, and went about their day once again, planning a few changes to make everything go different.

But for Damian, there seemed to be no reason to celebrate.

Much like the previous timeline, he'd gotten up, tied his hair up in the back (his own 'Lyoko Style', taking the form of a low ponytail), and put on his grey shorts, dark red hoodie, and black converse. But unlike last time, he hadn't left the dorm immediately, and instead decided to stay. And now, he was face-to-face with his roommate, watching him carefully as he thought of what to say.

"So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Jeremie questioned with crossed arms. "Do you have any more questions you need answered?"

With a deep breath, Damian decided that it would be better to just rip off the proverbial bandage. He didn't want to drag this out, especially given how dire he was sure the consequences would be.

"Jeremie… I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

The blonde looked to him with confusion. "Sorry for… what?"

"Milly and Tamiya." Damian responded simply. "It was my fault that they came to the factory in the first place."

"Oh, that. Look, don't worry about it."

"How can you say that!? They know about the supercomputer now!"

And to this, Jeremie's expression only further went into confusion, but then swiftly changed to a slight grin. "Ah… I see what's happening." He chuckled slightly. "You must have forgotten my explanation of the return to the past, right?"

It was now Damian's turn to be confused. "Do I have it wrong somehow?"

"Indeed you do, my friend." Jeremie leaned back, and pulled out a small notebook from under his pillow. "You see, the return to the past program makes people forget everything that happens in the previous timeline. The only exception are those who have been virtualized in Lyoko. Like you, or Odd, or Yumi."

"So wait… what you're saying is-"

A simple nod was the only reply Jeremie gave, and the only one that Damian needed. Suddenly, it clicked in his head. He'd never questioned why no one spoke about the bus incident the previous week, but now it made sense. They didn't remember it. No one remembered it beyond them.

"So that's what you meant when you said I wouldn't remember anything."

"Yep. But that plan changed. And I can't deny it was a change I'm not seeing as wholly negative. It's clear Xana still hasn't adapted yet to a new warrior, so if you can get in some practice, it could be greatly beneficial."

To this, Damian nodded himself. "Well, I'm glad to help. After all, you promised to help me after you were able to materialize Aelita. And I figure this is a pretty good way to pay you back."

"Glad to hear it. Though after the last mission, I do I have one question for you, Damian."

"Shoot."

"How did you learn about Stone Scale?"

There was an awkward silence between teammates, as the former dinosaur attempted to explain what had happened. It was a difficult thing for him to articulate to the genius, because in all honesty, he didn't have any clue about it either. It just sort of came to him, and there was no indication of if this memory was of him or not.

But through some great effort, the exchange was made and Jeremie took in the new info.

"Fascinating…" the blonde genius placed a finger on his chin. "It would seem that you've got some hidden memories stored within you. I'll have to run a scan later. If this is within your system, then I have to wonder what else is hiding inside."

"Do you think it's Xana's doing?"

"Possibly. But we'll burn that bridge when we get to it."

"Okay then."

Finally, Jeremie jumped off the bed, and looked to Damian. "For now," he said with a smile. "Let's go find Odd and Ulrich. From what I heard, they've got a different prank in mind than before. And I think it'll be fun to watch."

And for the first time that day, the pain in Damian's head eased. He didn't need to worry for now, and could focus on something else. The mission had been completed, and the problems that he'd expected wouldn't even come up.

For now, he could just relax, and that meant he could spend some more time with his new friends.

"You know what, Jer? That sounds fantastic."

* * *

**So there you have it, Episode 5 of Code Lyoko with several changes added in. I'm really trying to make it to where Damian has an effect on the plot in ways varying from small to large. And in this chapter, it was fun to come up with his abilities, as well as how his presence might actually change things. But obviously, this is only the beginning, and X.A.N.A won't be out of the loop forever. So here's hoping he gets this whole warrior thing figured out quickly.**

**As always, read, review, all that good stuff. I'm always interested in what you guys have to say. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in a review or PM me, and I'll answer them to the best of my abilities.**

**And as always, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Until next time, my friends.**

**Gusto out!**


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